


a million reasons

by OneSweetMelody



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ficlets, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Multiverse, and some not, im also a lying liar who lies but whatever, short frequent updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-04 21:50:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20478023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSweetMelody/pseuds/OneSweetMelody
Summary: A series of unrelated ficlets of all the times Andrew and Neil do or don’t decide to get married.





	1. UNIVERSE 374A-8B: Baby AU

**Author's Note:**

> No one asked for this. Literally no one. But here we are. None of these fics are related whatsoever. But since the fandom likes to argue over whether or not Andrew and Neil get married, whelp. Everyone has different view of marriage and what it means but I’m not gonna get on a soapbox. 
> 
> I’d like to think that in any universe regardless of wherever or not they get married, they spend their lives together. Which is what this series of fics are about. This is also a challenge to myself to write more. Anyway, enjoy!!

David, nickname pending, was not a fussy baby. Neil didn’t understand how anyone could know for sure when the baby was only a few days old, but he’d heard it repeated by several nurses and Dan’s obstetrician enough times to believe it.

“He’s tiny.”

“He’s a newborn,” Andrew said dryly. “And you’re holding him wrong.”

Neil grimaced slightly and readjusted his grip to something that felt slightly less uncomfortable. It must have not been good enough for Andrew because the other man gave a small huff of annoyance before taking the baby into his own arms. 

“That’s exactly how I was holding him,” Neil protested in a low voice. Matt stirred from his spot on the recliner at the opposite end of the hospital room. His eyebrows furrowed slightly before he slumped back to sleep. Dan was also asleep in her hospital bed but it wouldn’t be long before they would both be up to feed and cop at their firstborn. But for the time being, they’d left baby David in Andrew and Neil’s somewhat capable hands. 

“You were going to d-r-o-p him,” Andrew spelled out slowly. “And I’m not taking over godfather responsibilities if the Boyd-Wildses kill you.”

The word was strange: godfather. Neil thought he was overwhelmed when Matt asked him to be his best man, but handing Matt tissues when he cried over how happy was that Dan said yes and standing by his side at the altar was different than being given the responsibility of a whole new life. Neil had been given a whole new life of his not even ten years ago and he was still wondering what he was doing. 

David was small, and despite the army of Foxes who would stand by, defenseless. Neil wondered what kind of life David would live— better than his or Matt’s or Dan’s. He’d be raised by Foxes but never lead the kind of life to make him one. 

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Andrew said without looking at Neil. David had a firm grip on Andrew’s index finger as Andrew lightly tugged it away only to bring it back moments later. 

“You like babies,” Neil said as he watched Andrew continue to play with David. Andrew would likely appear blank-faced and disinterested to most, but Neil could see the relaxation in his shoulders and the careful attention he paid to the baby. 

“Don’t make anything of it. They eat, cry, shit, sleep. Repeat. They’re easy.”

Neil let out an undignified snort. 

He inched closer and offered his pinkie finger to David, waiting to see if he would accept Neil the way he so easily accepted Andrew. “You’re signing yourself up for free babysitting if Dan or Matt hear you.”

“You already signed us up for that.”

“Does that make you step-godfather or how does that work? Do we need to get married?”

The room was near quiet aside from Dan’s light snores. It was like the whole room was holding its breath, suspended in a strange twilight zone of calm. Then finally, David’s small curled hand latched onto Neil’s littlest finger. Neil felt the beginnings of a smile unfurl across his face. 

“You do know,” Neil started wholly focused on the baby in Andrew’s arms, “if Kevin has kids he’s making you godfather.”

David wailed. 


	2. UNIVERSE 126C-7P: High School AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil kind of, almost, sort of proposes at a high school dance.

“Just get up and dance if you’re going to keep staring.”

“I don’t know how to dance.”

“You can’t be worse than him,” Andrew nods towards the dancefloor and Neil follows his line of sight to Kevin who was moving his limbs in a strange jerky fashion which made him look vaguely like a puppet with a few strings cut off.

“He looks like a drunk marionette.”

Neil lets his eyes roam over the high school gymnasium, converted for One Night Only into a summer campsite with flower garland, twinkle lights, and mason jars. Nicky had complained, in great detail, how much he’d fought with the rest of the student council for less cheesy decorations. Neil can spot a few of his friends in the throng of students. Kevin is embarrassing himself not too far away from the table that they claimed at the beginning of the night. Matt’s hair, gelled to ridiculous spikes, is visible over the heads of most of the other students meaning Dan is somewhere nearby as well.

“Wow,” Neil says in a low voice when he spots Aaron dancing with his girlfriend. They’re close enough together that by the end of the next song, Coach Wymack will likely come storming up to them with a ‘Jesus Christ, Minyard leave room for the Holy Spirit, you’re lucky I don’t give you two detention’. Then Aaron and Katelyn would spend the rest of the night awkwardly dancing two feet apart.

“Don’t,” Andrew says taking a sip of his soda, eyes still on the dancefloor.

“Do you think they’ll make it past graduation?” Neil asks.

“Not if either of them is smart. Either they breakup within six month or they’re dumb enough get married right away then get divorced two years later.” Andrew takes another sip of his drink and waves his free hand dismissively. “But Aaron has it in his head that they’re going to medical school together and live happily ever after.”

The words are surprising. Andrew isn’t necessarily wrong with the statistics, Neil has heard Allison say much of the same in her own equally blunt way, but Neil never placed Aaron as the type to make plans that far into the future with someone else. Both twins hold careful disdain and distrust towards other people. They are difficult to get to know and harder to understand. Where Andrew is apathetic, Aaron is surly. But they are far more alike than either of them would ever like to admit.

“She’s better for him than most of his other girlfriends,” Neils says knowing not to expect a response from Andrew. Instead, Neil fiddles with the tab of his can of soda. The tab snaps off and falls into the can. Neil pushes the drink away and reaches for one of the mini water bottles instead. “What about Matt and Dan?”

“Just as stupid.”

“They seem pretty stable. They might work out long term.”

Andrew tears his gaze away from their classmates and levels Neil with a level stare. Neil turns to him and meets his gaze. “High school relationships don’t work.”

“Don’t work or never work?” Andrew doesn’t respond but his nose twitches slightly in the way it usually does when Neil catches him off guard. “Well it’s a good thing we aren’t dating then.”

It’s a bit of an unfair jab but Kevin chooses that moment to return to the table breaking their stare off. He looks tired but his expression is unusually bright and missing much of his usual seriousness. He spots the unopened water bottle in Neil hands and makes a move for it. Neil for once decides not to be difficult and lets Kevin steal his drink.

“Are you guys going to sit here all night?” Kevin asks with a frown after he takes a sip of his water. He glances back and forth between the two of them, finally noticing the slight tension in the air.

“Yes,” Neil and Andrew reply at the same time. Kevin furrows his eyebrows slightly but decides against saying whatever he was thinking. He quickly finishes the rest of his water and leaves the pair alone again with a mumbled goodbye.

Andrew and Neil sit in relative silence through two more songs before Neil speaks again.

“So what happens if we’re still ‘not dating’ in 10 years? Or 15?”

“You assume that I won’t have killed you by then to save everyone else from the unfortunate.” Neil bites his lips to hold back a smile when Andrew crushes an empty can and flicks it across the table.

“You haven’t thought of anything creative enough yet,” Neil steals a careful glance up at his face to decipher his expression.

“I have time,” Andrew says in a low enough voice that Neil almost strains to hear him over the music. “Unless you changed your mind about staying put.”

“Is that a promise?” This time Neil can’t hide his smile. “Should we get matching promise rings?”

“I’m not getting fitted for a ring.”

“I’ll guess your size.”

“You can’t even figure out your clothing size.”

Neil gives a small shrug, “maybe I’ll be better at it when I ask you again in 10 to 15 years.”

A slow song starts and students begin pairing off on the dance floor. Neil isn’t graduating anytime soon but something about watching his classmates in this moment, together in the dingy school gymnasium makes him apprehensive of the future and how things will change when he’s no longer in the predictable bubble of high school. Here he knows what to expect but despite all his earlier bravado, he feels at a loss. In a few weeks, most of his friends will be graduating and then after that Andrew will be. In a way, Neil almost respects Aaron for being so assured in what he wants from his future.

Andrew kicks his foot under the table and breaks Neil out of his spell. He pushes away from the table and tugs on Neil shirtsleeve.

“Let’s go, the chaperones are distracted,” he says. “I need a cigarette if I’m going to listen to you planning your proposal.”

Neil gets to his feet and blinks a few times as Andrew’s words sink in. Andrew rolls his eyes and tugs on Neil’s shirtsleeve again.

“A deal. If we don’t get tired of each other in 10 years I’ll let you proposal. Yes or no?”

“Yes?” It must sound too much like a question because Andrew raises an eyebrow. “Yes,” Neil says more firmly.

“But I’m not wearing a fucking ring.”

The slow song shifts into something more upbeat and Andrew grabs Neil’s hand quickly as they sneak out of the gymnasium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me @thepalmtoptiger on Tumblr. Fell free to drop in.


	3. UNIVERSE 835Z-1H: Practical Magic AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You cast a love spell?”
> 
> “Clearly,” Aaron began, “he’s an idiot.”  
__  
Practical Magic AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this chapter posts correctly. I tried it two days ago so who knows. If you haven't seen Practical Magic, you definitely should.

“You cast a love spell?”

A vine crept close to Nicky’s left leg. He sidestepped the vine and made a “shoo” gesture with his left foot for good measure. He turned back to his cousins and levelled an especially disappointed look at Andrew. 

“Clearly,” Aaron began, “he’s an idiot.” Aaron let out a yelp as a vine snapped at his calf. The coffee cup next to Nicky cracked and Nicky rubbed at his temples, already feeling a headache coming.

“Please don’t kill each other. Or destroy my house.”

“Don’t blame me.” Aaron hissed, “he’s the one that started it.”

“Mature.” This time the table creaked as Aaron shot an angry look at his twin. 

“Guys seriously,” Nicky begged, “we’re adults. Can we just go back to the Neil Problem?”

The twins turned their heads almost simultaneously to stare at one another. Nicky knew that telepathy wasn’t necessarily real, but at times like these he worried that they might collectively decide to kill him without saying a word. 

_“He’ll have eyes of blue like shattered skies_  
_ Hair so auburn like a campfire as it dies_  
_ He’ll speak his mind tired but true_  
_ A mind so quick you can’t subdue_  
_ And in his heart he’ll chose to stay  
Even when I drive him away”_

Nicky blinked a few times. 

“We were eight and had a dictionary,” Aaron rolled his eyes. “You should have given us an Xbox.”

“Okay, it’s okay,” Nicky said in a voice that seemed not at all okay. “That doesn’t mean he only likes you because of a love spell. Okay? Free will is a thing.”

“We used blood,” Andrew said dryly. 

“We?” Nicky turned to Aaron again who only shrugged. If it had been just Andrew, the situation might have been fine. Nicky chewed on his lip as he tried to think of a way out of things. 

“I’m breaking off the engagement.”

“What?” Nicky knew he sounded frantic but he couldn’t help it. “You guys really like each other right? It’s not because of a spell? I mean there has to be intent behind it. You two didn’t think it would work.”

“It’s not worth it.”

“Like fuck it isn’t,” Aaron spat. “I didn’t spend the better part of the last five years watching you moon after him for you to just give up.”

“We live in different cities.”

“Fine. I didn’t spend a whole family meeting here arguing over this for you to give up.”

Nicky looked around nervously. Erik would be home soon and he’d promised his husband that he would come back to a home fully intact. There had to be something he could do to de-escalate the situation. “I have an idea.”

Nicky bit at a hangnail as he organized his thoughts. 

“Do you remember what exactly you used for the spell?”

Andrew raised an eyebrow but didn’t give a response. Nicky counted it as an affirmative. 

“We can undo the spell,” Nicky said carefully. “It might not have worked in the first place. But we’ll need Neil to agree to it. Unless you want to get some of his blood another way. And if he’s still in love with you, then it wasn’t the spell.”

“Or he’ll be un-in-love with you if the first spell never worked,” Aaron said. Nicky wanted to scream. 

“He’s not in love with me.”

“Then what are we here for?” Aaron threw his hands in the hair and began pacing. He almost trips over a vine but doesn’t seem to notice as he keeps berating his brother. “You two are in love. And you’re worried that a love spell that we cast when we were _ eight _ actually worked? What are you afraid of? That he might actually be in love with you or the fact that you’re in love with him?”

Silence stretched across the room. It was a strange sort of stalemate that Nicky so desperately wanted to cut through. But he wasn’t necessarily good with confrontation and the stakes in this situation were high. 

“We have a dead body in our backyard, it can’t exactly get much worse,” Nicky pointed out. Aaron blinked several times. “Well, two.”

“Does Erik know that,” Andrew asked. Nicky winced slightly. 

“I’ll tell him eventually,” he said weakly. 

Aaron let out an uncharacteristically loud guffaw. It cut through the tension like a sword and even Andrew’s lips twitched upwards and his shoulders shook slightly. Nicky couldn’t help but start to laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire situation as well. 

“We’re a fucking dysfunctional mess,” Aaron said which started another round of hysterics. 

They were dysfunctional at the best of times. But their family was one of choice rather than just blood. They’d made it through worse times together and they would continue too. Even if it involved a little magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr @thepalmtoptiger


	4. UNIVERSE 872N-1C: Superhero AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fox Tower (v.2.0.1) was a behemoth of a building approximately two miles from the location where Fox Tower (v1.0) stood several years ago before it was leveled by The Ravens in a minor (read: cataclysmic) scuffle—a small blessing as the building was nearing a state of disrepair.  
Fox Tower (v.2.0) was nearly destroyed over a kale shake. The E.X.Y. board was neither pleased nor amused by the incident. 
> 
> Superhero AU

Fox Tower (v.2.0.1) was a behemoth of a building approximately two miles from the location where Fox Tower (v1.0) stood several years ago before it was leveled by The Ravens in a minor (read: cataclysmic) scuffle—a small blessing as the building was nearing a state of disrepair. 

Fox Tower (v.2.0) was nearly destroyed over a kale shake. The E.X.Y. board was neither pleased nor amused by the incident. 

Usually, the Coach and Black Dagger did a good job of keeping the Foxes on task during their weekly team meetings. But with the Coach in the middle of a long conference call (read: shouting match) with Palmetto PD, Black Dagger was on her own wrangling the Foxes. She got through their weekly debrief without incident and dismissed the auxiliary members— coined “Baby Foxes” sarcastically by Crowned Eagle and later adopted by the rest of the team— before opening the floor to the primary team to voice any further concerns. 

Her one mistake was letting Striker go first.

“We may be a team of rejects and subpar heroes,” Striker began in his usual blunt and critical tone. He was met, unsurprisingly, with an immediate chorus of moans and groans. Someone, Solaris, tossed an empty Starblux cup in his direction which he flung away with a dismissive wave, “but we have to come up with a PR plan.” 

“We also need to vote to change the name Deathshot to something less threatening to the public,” Striker added, “It would help if you stopped taking side jobs, Deathshot.”

(“Seriously Kevin,” Bruiser said, “we all know each other’s names.”)

“It’s my brand,” Deathshot bared his teeth in something that vaguely resembles a smile. “I could always accept the hit on you again.”

Black Dagger ignored the usual argument which popped up, without fail, every meeting with no real resolution, and circled back to the main point.

“A PR plan about what? Is there something I don’t know about?” She glanced around the collection of Foxes lounging idly around the meeting hall. 

“Didn’t we go over this before?” Striker gesturing wildly at Deathshot and Spitfire (sitting on a table top and on the floor respectively). Both looked at him impassively, not responding to his clear frustration. “Now that they’re engaged—”

“Wait,” Bruiser cut in, “Neil you finally proposed? Why does Kevin know before me?”

Striker’s complaints about using civilian names was lost in the background as the room suddenly the room broke out into an unruly chorus of shouts ranging from shock (“Why did no one tell me this. I’m family.”) to gloating (“See, didn’t I tell you all. Pay up, bitches.”) to horror “What the fuck.”). 

“He didn’t propose,” Andrew said with feigned disinterest. His voice cut through the chaos.

“Aww, Andrew,” Nicky cooed, “that’s so sweet. How did you pop the question?”

“No one proposed,” Neil corrected, shooting an annoyed glare at Kevin. Kevin ignored Neil’s agitated expression and furrowed his eyebrows at them in confusion. 

“What do you mean neither of you proposed? You told me you were going to propose. I had a plan.”

“Remind me never to tell you a secret,” Nicky said under his breath.

“Well then it doesn’t matter,” Kevin said backtracking, “all that means is that it doesn’t need a contingency plan. I’m trying to be realistic. We have a terrible reputation. Our approval ratings are in the ground.”

(“They’re improving,” Dan cut in. “This is the highest they’ve been since the team formed.”

“Deathshot is still a mercenary,” Matt pointed out. Dan shot him a sharp look and he shrugged, not looking remotely sorry. “No offense Andrew.”)

“A contingency plan,” Nicky snapped. “Can you at least act a little more supportive of your teammates for five minutes? You know, your best friends.”

“I’m plenty supportive,” Kevin snapped back. He rubbed his temples in a way reminiscent of his father.“We’re protecting the public,” Kevin continued undeterred, “we have to consider what would happen if our civilian identities got out. Brusier and Black Dagger have been a pair almost since the beginning. No one is interested anymore. No one will go digging. But another couple on the team? You two aren’t as discreet as you think. We have to consider what people will think if Deathstroke and Spitfire get married not just Andrew and Neil. ”

“Spitfire’s numbers have been on the rise but Deathshot’s have plateaued,” Dan said fiercely, “that might not seem like a big deal but it means something. We’re all making sacrifices to be here doing what we do, and people are seeing the good we do. But Andrew and Neil shouldn’t have to sacrifice their relationship for the greater good like that.”

“We know,” Neil said in an annoyed tone, “which is why it isn’t anyone else’s business if we get married or not. You all spent so much time arguing over whether or not it’s a good idea without actually asking the two of us anything.”

Neil let out a hot breath as he tried to rein in his anger. “Either of us could die tomorrow or next week or next year. It’s a piece of paper. What does it matter when we already know that we’re going to be together until that day? We don’t need to prove it to anyone one else.”

Neil let out another hot breath. His hands shook with restrained anger. Andrew looked around the room to gauge their reactions. Allison looked decidedly less haughty and Renee had her hand wrapped around Allison’s forearm either in warning or support— it could very likely be either if not both. In contrast, Aaron his gaze with curiosity. Aaron wasn’t likely to probe his twin for more answers but he gave a tiny nod. The rest of the Foxes had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Black Dagger said clearing her throat. Striker opened his mouth as if to add something but immediately closed it and sat back down. “I’m sorry, Spitfire. Deathshot. We’ll close the topic.” She didn’t bother asking if everyone else was in favor. “I’ll debrief Coach later today. Meeting closed.”

The mood was somber as the Foxes filtered out of the meeting hall. There would be apologies made in private later but for now things remained as they were. Bruiser lingered for a moment with Black Dagger but she shook her head.

At the very least, Fox Tower (v.2.0.1) remained intact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having way too much fun with these. Will any of these become full AUs? Who knows? I don't.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @thepalmtoptiger

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @thepalmtoptiger
> 
> Leave a comment below because I’m dumb and crave validation.


End file.
